|
Medical
notifications 2004
During
2004, medical notifications of hepatitis C infection were received for 493
males and 304 females (797 cases). Among
the notifications were 63 incident cases, eleven fewer than in 2003.
However, the proportion of cases reporting a negative test in the
past (23%) was higher than in any other year to date.
Hepatitis
C Medical Notification 01/10/04 - 31/12/04
In
the fourth quarter of 2004, medical notifications of hepatitis C infection
were received for 181 individuals, 114 (63%) males and 67 (37%) females.
Among
the notifications, 14 cases reported an earlier positive test (pre-1995),
whilst 57 individuals had never been tested before for hepatitis C
infection. In 55 cases the
testing history was unknown. Of 55 individuals with a previous negative test, 42 were
tested more than 12 months earlier and 13 were tested within the last
year.
In
132 (73%) instances, past or present injecting drug use (IDU) was reported
as a likely transmission route for hepatitis C virus; 15 cases reported
IDU plus tattoos as a second potential exposure (Table
2.1).
At
diagnosis, the majority of males (89%) were aged 20 to 49 years, while
many females (63%) were in the 20 to 39 year age-range. Of seven
cases (one male, six females) aged less than twenty years at diagnosis, four had a history of
injecting drug use (Table 2.2).
Newly acquired infections - Incident cases
Incident
cases are infections acquired in the last 12 months, and are identified by
recent seroconversion for hepatitis C antibodies or a positive test
accompanied by acute clinical illness not ascribed to other causes.
Sixteen incident cases were identified during the
quarter; 13 had negative serology in the preceding 12 months.
Four cases reported clinical hepatitis.
The incident cases comprised 10 males and six females.
In 14 cases the likely mode of transmission for hepatitis C virus
was injecting drug use; two cases were attributed to possible sexual
transmission. One of the
latter is currently under investigation, having undergone a recent medical
procedure (Table
2.3).
The ages of female incident cases ranged from 19
to 32, while all males were more than 20 years old at diagnosis
(Table
2.4).
Collated laboratory data for hepatitis C antibody tests
performed during the quarter are shown in Table 2.5.
Table 2.1 Hepatitis C
infection, new diagnoses 01/10/04 - 31/12/04 and year.
Exposure category
by sex.
|
Exposure
category
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/04 -
31/12/04
|
Year
01/01/04 - 31/12/04
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
IDU1
|
71
|
34
|
291
|
155
|
446
|
|
IDU/tattoos
|
10
|
5
|
48
|
20
|
68
|
|
Blood /tissue products
|
1
|
7
|
20
|
26
|
46
|
|
Tattoos
|
9
|
1
|
23
|
6
|
29
|
|
Other2
|
6
|
2
|
16
|
18
|
34
|
|
High prevalence country3
|
4
|
6
|
27
|
29
|
56
|
|
Unknown
|
4
|
7
|
22
|
24
|
46
|
|
Total
|
105
|
62
|
447
|
278
|
725
|
1
Includes
IDU in combination with categories other than tattoos (2%).
2
Includes occupational, household, perinatal & sexual exposure;
body piercing/ acupuncture & assault.
3
Residence/medical treatment in a high prevalence overseas country.
Table 2.2
Hepatitis C
infection, new diagnoses 01/10/04 - 31/12/04 and year.
Age group by sex.
|
Age group (years)
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/04 - 31/12/04
|
Year
to date
01/01/04 - 31/12/04
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
< 20
|
1
|
6
|
11
|
22
|
33
|
|
20 - 29
|
35
|
17
|
104
|
74
|
178
|
|
30 - 39
|
37
|
22
|
145
|
91
|
236
|
|
40 - 49
|
22
|
10
|
137
|
56
|
193
|
|
³
50
|
10
|
7
|
50
|
35
|
85
|
|
Total
|
105
|
62
|
447
|
278
|
725
|
Table 2.3
Newly acquired hepatitis C infection (Incident cases1)
,
01/10/04 - 31/12/04 and year. Exposure category by sex.
|
Exposure category
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/04 - 31/12/04
|
Year
to date
01/01/04 - 31/12/04
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
IDU
|
9
|
5
|
36
|
15
|
51
|
|
IDU/tattoos
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Sex
partner HCV+2
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
Blood/tissue
product3
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
|
Other4
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Unknown
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
Total
|
10
|
6
|
43
|
20
|
63
|
1 Incident
cases are newly acquired infections, see text.
2 Includes
one case with a recent medical procedure, currently under
investigation;
3 Recipients
of blood/tissue products from known HCV+ donors;
4 One
case resulting from occupational injury, another attributed to assault
Table 2.4
Newly acquired hepatitis C infection (Incident cases*),
01/10/04 - 31/12/04 and year. Age group by sex.
|
Age
group
(years)
|
4th Quarter
01/10/04 - 31/12/04
|
Year
01/01/04 - 31/12/04
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
<10
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
15 - 19
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
20 - 29
|
4
|
3
|
18
|
10
|
28
|
|
30 - 39
|
4
|
2
|
15
|
6
|
21
|
|
40 - 49
|
2
|
-
|
7
|
2
|
9
|
|
50 - 59
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
Total
|
10
|
6
|
43
|
20
|
63
|
* Incident
cases are newly acquired infections, see text.
Table 2.5 Summary of
laboratory tests for hepatitis C antibodies
01/10/04 - 31/12/04 and year. Laboratory by sex.
|
Laboratory
|
4th Quarter
01/10/04 - 31/12/04
|
Year
01/01/04 - 31/12/04
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Unknown
|
Male
|
Female
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
|
Public
|
5350
|
7251
|
32
|
21757
|
29578
|
139
|
51474
|
|
Private
|
2935
|
4232
|
-
|
12147
|
17449
|
-
|
29596
|
|
Total
|
8285
|
11483
|
32
|
33904
|
47027
|
139
|
81070
|
|
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